Agenda

Back to Calendar Return

12.d

AIRPORTS COMMITTEE

Meeting Date:	02/13/2019
Subject: (Airport Director's Report) Release of 16-acres for non-aeronautical use, Buchanan Field Airport
Submitted For:	Keith Freitas
Department:	Airports
Referral No.:
Referral Name:
Presenter:		Contact:	Beth Lee, (925) 681-4200

Information

Referral History:

See 12.c. above for initial background. FAA forecasts are used to determine long-term demand for aviation facilities and the amount of land needed for those facilities. The land denoted for aviation use on an ALP correlates to the long-term aviation facility needs.

The existing ALP shows the approximate 16-acres of vacant land on the northeast of Marsh Drive and Sally Ride Drive (generally across from the Airports Division office) for aviation use. In order for that land to be used for aviation facilities, a taxilane would need to be extended from the airfield. Further, that taxilane would cross Sally Ride Drive causing it to be severed. Thus, a new second connection to Marsh Drive would be required on the north end so that tenants can continue to access their hangars/buildings once the taxilane is installed. These combined improvements would be very expensive which would likely cause the land to remain vacant and unproductive.

The current forecasts for the ALP update indicate there is substantially more land currently reserved for aviation uses than needed to meet future demand. This, combined with the high cost to connect this property to the airfield, make the 16-acres economically infeasible for aviation use. As such, it was determined that this land should be released for non-aviation use.

County staff discussed the findings the FAA Airport District Office staff and they conceptually agreed with the approach and suggested that a land release request package be prepared (see process detail in #7 above) in order for them to make a determination. The cost to prepare a documented categorical exclusion (CATEX) is approximately $122,000. It is possible that an Environmental Assessment may be required if there are identified critical items during the preparation of the CATEX or if the FAA determines that a higher level NEPA evaluation is necessary.

Subsequently, the Airports Division received a letter of interest to develop this property for non-aviation use. A competitive solicitation process commenced and the County did not receive any competitive interest. On December 4, 2018, the Board of Supervisors authorized negotiations for a ground lease and development terms with the Montecito Development Company, LLC for the approximate 16-aces. Completion of the FAA release of the 16-acres for non-aeronautical use is required before a lease can be executed.

Referral Update:

Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):

12.d: Release of 16-acres for non-aeronautical use, Buchanan Field Airport (Airport Director's Report). This is a general discussion about the status of the project and amending the contract to increase the payment limit by $122,000 to prepare a release of land request for the FAA to allow non-aeronautical use on the 16-acres.

Fiscal Impact (if any):

This project received approximately $285,425 in grants from the FAA and Caltrans. Adding the land release request package and runway safety analysis to the to the project increases to the total project cost to $519,176. The Airport Enterprise Fund will be used to cover the additional project expenses.

Attachments
No file(s) attached.